Source: http://www.searchenginejournal.com/7-seo-tactics-sound-smart-actually-dumb/130499/
A lot of techniques may look clean on the outside but can be disastrous once implemented on your site. Picture it as a ticking time bomb waiting for the next Google update that can potentially affect your site or worse, penalized your site. Here are some common tactics that you need to stop doing:
SEO Tactics To Avoid
Creating multiple websites – some companies build websites for a single product expecting a ranking in local search results in return. Most business owners do this having an idea that if a single site can rank, they can also rank multiple sites. Having multiple sites can cause brand confusion and often times hard to manage due to content duplicates and multiple exchange links. It is highly recommended to only use a single site and place a redirect to from your old site to your main site.
Using article directories as the only means of getting backlinks – People think that having a lot of directory links can help increase their website exposure. However, it is actually the opposite. Directory links have this credibility of being low quality. A website should opt for earning relevant quality links to boost website’s link authority. Diversity is also what Google wants to see in a website’s link profile.
Using a lot of scripts and tracking codes on your site – its ok to use tracking codes in your site especially if its essential on your business that you monitor traffic, goals and conversions. Installing plugins and scripts can also help speed up your site in exchange for additional code installed on your page. However, your site can also experience plugin or script that will conflict each other and can reduce your site’s loading speed. Always choose plugins, scripts and tracking codes carefully when installing on your site.